1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a kneading and extruding apparatus for kneading and extruding relatively soft material such as soap material and its additives, and more partcularly a soap kneading and extruding apparatus for adding perfume and pigment to soap material in the form of flakes or pellets and kneading and extruding them in soap manufacturing processes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In soap manufacturing processes of the prior art, to soap material is added perfume and pigment and kneaded by means of a plurality of roller mill type mixers for a fairly long period of time in order to homogenize the material and the additions which are often unevenly dried or partially over-dried during drying processes.
The use of such roll mill type mixers may often limit the output of soap paricularly in a continuous massproduction and permits a relatively large amount of material to lose during mixing the material therein and the operation of the roll mill type mixer requires experienced personnel.
Kneaders each having a screw shaft have been used for blending and kneading soap material with perfume and pigment. However, such kneaders are not effective to blend the unevenly dried or partially over-dried soap material and its additives, so that after extruding the materials from the kneaders they must be again blended in further roll mill type mixers which complicate the manufacturing processes and increase the cost of the soap.
Soaps in the form of flakes or needles have been used for industrial purposes in order to make it easy for the soap to dissolve in water. Such soaps are shaped into flakes or needles by forcing soap material through a fine wire screen during which process there is a tendency of the material to close the openings of the screen and stop thereat owing to the unevenly dried condition of the material, which requires further careful mixing of the material in roll mill type mixers.